Bridle Gossip
by Dede42
Summary: After going after Apple Bloom when she runs off into the Everfree Forest to seek out a strange zebra named Zecora, who is suspected of doing dark magic by the ponies of Ponyville, Twilight, Sunrise, and their friends all begin developing strange symptoms, they suspect Zecora of being responsible. Is Zecora responsible or has something else done this to the ponies?
1. Chapter 1: WHO IS ZECORA?

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Bridle Gossip

A/N: (In the writers studio, Pinkie Pie waits until Discord runs past with Thanos on his heels, and then she sneaks over to the laptop. She opens it and is unaware that Dede42 is in the room.)

Dede42: Watcha doing, Pinkie?

Pinkie Pie: (Jumps into the air) _AAAHHH!_ (She lands with a loud thud) Ow!

Dede42: Pinkie, you're aware that I read all of the reviews posted on my stories, right?

Pinkie Pie: (meekly nods) Yes…

Dede42: So, if you want to use my laptop, you just have to ask, you don't have to sneak around behind my back. It's bad enough when someone like Discord does that.

Pinkie Pie: Ok! (And she bounces off doing her happy singing.)

Dede42: (shakes her head with a smile) Oh, Pinkie, you silly girl.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: WHO IS ZECORA?**

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle was happily walking down the road into town with Spike on her back, and he was also enjoying the beautiful day, too.

"Wow, what a gorgeous day!" the purple unicorn commented happily.

"Rainbow Dash must have gotten up early for once and cleared all the clouds away," Spike agreed.

Twilight Sparkle nodded, trotting into the town square. "I bet all of Ponyville is going to be out enjoying the sunshine," she predicted, only to discover that there weren't any ponies and the few that they did see, they were hurrying inside and shutting both the doors and windows to their homes and shops. "What? Where is everypony?" she wondered.

"Is it some sort of pony holiday?" Spike guessed.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"Does my breath stink?" the baby dragon guessed and belched out some green flame, sniffing the air.

Twilight Sparkle chuckled. "Not more than usual."

"Is it… zombies?!" Spike asked fearfully.

This time Twilight Sparkle shook her head skeptically. "Uh… not very likely."

Spike didn't like the sound of that. "Not likely… but possible?"

Twilight Sparkle was about to reassure him again when she heard a hissing sound, but she couldn't find the source until a familiar pink head peered out of Sugarcube Corner.

"Psst! Twilight! Spike!" Pinkie Pie hissed, waving frantically at them. "Come here! Come! Here! _Hurry!_ Before she gets you!" And when they reached the door, she shoved them both inside, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Twilight Sparkle blinked, surprised to find that the shop was completely black and groaned when a beam of light was beaming into her face. "Pinkie…"

"Sorry," Pinkie Pie apologized, lowering the flashlight a little. "Just had to make sure that _she_ didn't get you both."

"Who?!" Spike asked fearfully, clinging to Twilight Sparkle's neck tightly. "The zombie pony?"

Pinkie Pie whimpered and almost dropped the flashlight. "Z-Zombie pony?!"

"Spike!" Twilight Sparkle scolded. "There are no zombie ponies. Pinkie, what are you doing here alone in the dark?" she asked.

"I'm not alone in the dark," said Pinkie Pie, turning on a lamp to reveal that Sunrise Blossom, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were in the room with them, cowering near one of the curtained windows.

Twilight Sparkle was surprised to find them all hiding. "Okay then, what are you _all_ doing here in the dark?" she asked, joining them near the window.

"We're hidin' from her!" Applejack hissed, pulling aside the curtain just enough so that they could see a cloaked figure enter the square, and they watched as the figure pawed at the ground with one hoof connected to a black/white striped foreleg. The ponies watched the figure down this for a full minute when it suddenly looked directly at them with glowing yellow eyes, and they all duck down, shutting the curtain with fearful gasps.

Well, Twilight Sparkle didn't duck down and she thought her friends and her twin sister were acting silly. Apple Bloom hurried over to her and asked a question. "Did you see her, Twilight? Did you see… Zecora?"

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack hissed. "I told you never to say that name."

"Well, I saw her glance this way-" Twilight Sparkle began.

"Glance _evilly_ this way," Pinkie Pie interrupted.

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "… And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason. Really, Sunrise, why are you hiding like this?" she asked her twin.

"Seemed like the smart thing to do," Sunrise Blossom admitted.

"No good reason?" said Applejack, annoyed. "You call protectin' yer kin no good reason? Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora ridin' into town, she started shakin' in her lil' horseshoes." And she held her little sister close, shaking her.

"Did not!" Apple Bloom protested.

Applejack ignored her and continued talking. "So I swept her up and brought her here."

"I walked here myself!" Apple Bloom protested.

"For safe keepin'," Applejack concluded.

Apple Bloom pulled away from her sister and glared at her. "Applejack, I'm not a baby!" she snapped. "I can take care of myself!"

Applejack shook her head. "Not from that creepy Zecora."

"She's mysterious," said Fluttershy with a shudder.

"Sinister," Rainbow Dash added.

"And spoooooky!" Pinkie Pie concluded.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight Sparkle peered out the window again, sighing when the ponies joined her, and she raised her eyebrows while they gasped when Zecora pushed back the hood with one black hoof to reveal that she was covered with strips, including her mane and tail, and she wore gold jewelry around her neck, on her ears, and on her legs. "Will you cut that out?"

"Just look at those stripes!" Rarity gasped as they moved away from the window again. "So garish!"

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "She's a zebra."

"Oh, so that's a zebra," said Sunrise Blossom while their friends were confused.

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "A zebra," she agreed. "And her stripes aren't a fashion choice Rarity, they're what she was born with," she added, leading to the grey unicorn to faint.

"Here we go again," Sunrise Blossom muttered, and she pulled out some smelling salts from her saddle bags since she'd been in the middle of making deliveries to revival their friend.

"Born where?" Applejack wondered. "I've never seen a pony like that in these parts, 'cept… _her_!"

"Well, she's probably not from here, and she's not a pony," Twilight Sparkle explained, unaware that Spike was sneaking into the kitchen. "My books say that zebras come from a faraway land. But I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?"

"That's just it, she lives in… the _Everfree Forest_!" Applejack exclaimed and they all yelped when there was a loud clap of thunder.

"Spike!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, spotting the baby dragon, who'd accidentally knocked over some pots and pans while trying to grab a candy cane.

Spike flushed. "Uh, sorry."

Applejack did her best to not freak out when she continued her explanation. "The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow…"

"Animals care for themselves…" said Fluttershy with a shudder.

"And the clouds move…" Rainbow Dash began and was joined in by Applejack and Fluttershy. "All on their own!" And Rarity fainted again.

This time, Sunrise Blossom rolled her eyes as she used the smelling salts to wake her friend up again. "Enough being dramatic, Rarity."

"And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there doing her evil… stuff!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing around. "She's so evil I even wrote a song about her!"

"Here we go…" Rainbow Dash sighed.

"She's an evil enchantress, She does evil dances," Pinkie Pie sang, still bouncing around grabbing the purple unicorn at one point. "And if you look deep in her eyes, She'll put you in trances, Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew, Then she'll gobble you up, In a big tasty stew. Soooo… _Watch out!_ " she finished, standing on a table.

"Wow. Catchy," Twilight Sparkle said sarcastically.

Pinkie Pie shrugged and hopped off the table. "It's a work in progress."

"This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors," said Twilight Sparkle, positive that they were all acting like fillies. "Now tell me; what exactly have you actually _seen_ Zecora do?"

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. "Well… Once a month, she comes into Ponyville."

" _Oooooh_ ," said Twilight Sparkle dramatically.

"Then, she _lurks_ by the stores," said Rarity.

Twilight Sparkle pretended to be shocked. "Oh, my."

"And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy added.

"Good gracious!" Twilight Sparkle gasped before shaking her head. "Okay, I'm sorry. But how is any of this bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed. "Maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly."

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "And maybe she's not lurking by the stores," she continued, "maybe she's _going_ to them, lurk free, to do some shopping?"

"Yeah! Everypony likes to shop," said Apple Bloom in agreement. "You know what I think?"

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack interrupted, fixing her little sister with a look. "Hush and let the big ponies talk."

Apple Bloom glowered at her sister. "I _am_ a big pony!" she muttered angrily.

"W-what about digging at the ground?" Rainbow Dash wondered while Pinkie Pie sang her song again. "You've got to admit _that's_ weird."

"It's kinda weird," Sunrise Blossom agreed.

"What if she's digging for innocent creatures?" Fluttershy suggested.

"I am sure there is an explanation for everything Zecora does," said Twilight Sparkle. "And if _anypony_ here were actually _brave_ enough to approach her, she would find out the truth."

Apple Bloom crept over to the door and nudged the lower half open. "Well, _I'm_ brave enough," she decided in a low voice, "I'm gonna find out myself." Going outside, she crept around, keeping the zebra in sight and gasped when the zebra looked her way for a moment before heading into the Everfree Forest after digging at the ground a bit more. Swallowing, Apple Bloom quickly followed her into the forest.

* * *

Meanwhile back at Sugarcube Corner, Twilight Sparkle still wasn't convinced that Zecora was as dangerous as they believed. "You ponies are being ridiculous!"

"Well, I heard that Zecora eats _hay,_ " said Pinkie Pie confidently and had finally stopped signing after much pleading from Sunrise Blossom, who was certain that she would have that song stuck in her head for the rest of the day.

"Pinkie, _I_ eat hay," Twilight Sparkle said exasperatedly, " _you_ eat hay!"

"Yeah, but I heard it's the _evil_ way she eats hay," Pinkie Pie added.

Applejack shook her head at Twilight Sparkle's skeptical look and then she realized that they were missing a certain filly. "Hey! Where's Apple Bloom?" she asked, looking around wildly.

Looking around Fluttershy spotted the lower of the door. "The door's open."

"She went outside!" Rarity gasped fearfully.

"And Zecora's still out there," said Rainbow Dash, worried.

Applejack sighed. "That silly lil' filly! I told her to stay put!" And she hurried out the door with the other ponies following after her.

Twilight Sparkle turned to Spike, who was wearing a pot on his head by this point. "Spike, you stay here in case Apple Bloom comes back," she instructed.

Spike saluted. "Will do!"

* * *

While all of this was going on, Apple Bloom was still following Zecora through the forest, which she hadn't been in since the incident involving Shadow Star, not that she remembered very much about it. She followed the zebra along a path that was bordered by strange blue plants that had large leaves with a bulb with several petals sticking out of the center, each bulb sporting a few stamen. The entire plant is blue, including leaves and stalk, with dark streaks running over it in a design.

Apple Bloom started having second thoughts when a strange fog began coming out of the trees when she heard a familiar voice behind.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack called out, running through the strange flowers toward her sister with her friends right behind her, and immediately scooped her onto her back. "You get back here right now!"

Hearing this, Zecora turned to find the Mane 7 standing in the middle of the strange blue flowers while Apple Bloom was draped over her big sister's back. "Beware! Beware, you pony folk!" she warned with a strange accent and was rhyming. "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

"Y-you keep your creepy mumbo-jumbo to yourself, ya hear?" Applejack said warning with the others in agreement.

Twilight Sparkle sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."

"Beware! Beware!" Zecora warned, backing away and disappearing into the fog.

"Yeah, back at ya, Zecora!" Rainbow Dash called out after the zebra, rising into the air a little. "You and your lame curse are the ones who better beware!"

Applejack carried Apple Bloom out of the flowers and deposited her on the ground. "And you!" she scolded. "Why couldn't you just listen to yer big sister?"

"I…I…" Apple Bloom stammered, but faltered while hanging her head in shame.

Applejack sighed and hugged her little sister, relieved that she was safe once again. "Who knows what kind of nasty curse Zecora could have just put on you?" she wondered.

"Just like in my song!" Pinkie Pie agreed and she started singing a shorter version of "Evil Enchantress".

"Here we go again," Sunrise Blossom grumbled. "Pinkie, please stop singing that blasted song!"

Twilight Sparkle shook her head in an exasperated manner. "You guys, there's no such thing as curses!"

"Well, _that's_ interesting to hear coming from Miss Magic Pants herself," Rainbow Dash remarked, tapping the purple unicorn's horn with one hoof.

"My magic, _real_ magic, comes from within," Twilight Sparkle reminded the blue pegasus, annoyed. "It's a skill you're born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic. It's conjured with potions and incantations; all smoke and mirrors meant to scare. But curses have no real power, they're just an old pony tale."

"Just you wait, Twilight," Applejack warned as they started back toward Ponyville. "You're gonna learn that some pony tales really _are_ true."

* * *

Later that night, Twilight Sparkle was lying in her bed, trying to sleep, but was having a strange dream that was filled with all the strange things that'd happen that day, and she kept seeing Pinkie Pie, Zecora in her hood, Rainbow Dash, and the others with their concerns, songs, and warnings.

 _`"_ _She's an evil enchantress, she does evil dances! Beware! Beware! If you look deep in her eyes, she will put you in trances! Yeah, was that supposed to scare us?! Wicked, wicked zebra! No pony knows that much about her. … it's a curse. Then what will she do? Just you wait, Twilight; some pony tales really are true. Then she'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew! Soooo… Watch out!"`_

Twilight Sparkle woke with a gasp when a rooster started crowing and she saw that it was morning. " _Ugh_ … what a dream…" she groaned, getting out of bed and went over to her vanity, trying to forget the dream that had ended with the hooded Zecora laughing evilly. "Curses, schmurses. Whoa!" She started at her reflection when she saw that her mane was all frizzy from her tossing and turning most of the night and she chuckled. "Maybe Zecora cursed my hair," she joked, magically using a brush to fix her mane and then she gasped with horror when she saw that her horn was limp and covered with blue spots. "Or she cursed my horn!"

* * *

A/N: Has Twilight been cursed by Zecora or is something else is going on? R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: THE MANE SEVEN CURSED!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Bridle Gossip

A/N: Hey, guys! So, I'm planning on doing a lot of posting this week, hence the fact that I'm about to post the next chapter. Any how, I'm not in my studio writing since Discord, bless his little heart, accidentally filled it with tribbles as a part of his plan to torment Thanos, and so I've had to relocate to a different location that I won't be revealing for fear of them popping up. Oh, and a message to Roleplayer48:

I just got an idea that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Instead of trying to come up with deleted scenes for my earlier stories since it's difficult even with the rough drafts that I gave to Sunrise Blossom to give to you, and that idea is that how about you guys do a blooper reel for Season 1 instead. You see, when I'm writing the stories, I pretend that they are being filmed at the same time, and we all know that filming a scene for either a show or a movie can lead to an entertaining blooper reel.

If you like that idea, then go for it, if not, then that's fine too. Oh! I managed to finish writing all of Season 2 last night and I will be starting on writing Season 3 next, and I promise that Timon and Pumbaa will be showing up now that they're official a part of the canon of the series.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: THE MANE SEVEN CURSED?!**

Several hours later found Twilight Sparkle searching frantically through the books in the library, trying to find something to explain what was happening to her horn, and maybe find a cure to fix it. "No no no no no!" she shouted, slamming shut a book and searched through another one. "None of these books have a cure! Ugh! There has to be a real reason for this! An illness? An allergy?!" And she poked her useless horn in frustration.

"A curse!" said Spike, looking up from a green book with a leaf symbol on the front.

"I said a _real_ reason," Twilight Sparkle reminded him, having heard enough about curses to last her a lifetime. "Something that points to something _real_."

Spike held up the book he'd been reading. "How about this one?"

" _Supernaturals_ "? Spike, the word supernatural refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which are as make-believe as curses," the purple unicorn scolded when she read the title. "This book is just a bunch of hooey!"

"But what if you're wrong, Twilight?" the baby dragon questioned. "What if this really is a-"

"Ah pfurse!" Pinkie Pie shouted, entering the library with a swollen tongue covered in blue spots.

"A purse?" Spike repeated, confused. "How could it be a purse?"

Twilight Sparkle stared in horror at her friend. "Pinkie? What happened?" she asked, worried.

"Pee pah Zthecora!" Pinkie Pie shouted the best she could around her swollen tongue. "Sthe put a cursthe on me!"

Spike cringed at the spittle that was flying everywhere. "Hey, say it, don't spray it, Pinkie!" he protested.

Just then, there was a crashing sound as Rainbow Dash collided with the closed window. _`"Ow!"`_ she yelped, crashing into the window again, then the wall, and then she finally came flying through the door, crashing into one of the ladders before falling to the floor. "Oh! She's – ow! Trying to say – ow! - Zecora – oh! – she slapped us all with a – ow – curse!" And it became apparent why she was crashing into everything: her wings were inverted!

Hearing another crashing sound, Twilight Sparkle turned to see her twin sister come stumbling through the doorway, and it was clear that whatever was going on, was affecting her legs, which were wobbling all over the place. "Sunrise, what happen to you?" she asked, her concern growing with each second that passed.

"I don't know if this has to do with Zecora, but my center of gravity is _way_ off," Sunrise Blossom answered, trying to stay upright, but she ended up sprawling on the floor. "Ow! I haven't been _this_ off-balance since that blasted cold I had two months ago. Maybe this is a curse."

Rarity, whose hair was super long and was covering her entire body entered the library next. "I'm afraid I have to agree," she admitted, blowing hair out of her face, and both Spike and Twilight yelled in surprise.

"I hate to say I told ya so, Twilight, but I told ya so!" Applejack called out in a high-pitched voice, and her friends gasped to see that she was tiny and was having to ride on Apple Bloom's back. "It's a curse, I tells ya!"

Twilight Sparkle wasn't sure if what was happening to them was a curse or not, but it was serious, and then she turned to Fluttershy, who'd just arrived and looked to be the only pony unaffected. "But Fluttershy… seems just fine!"

"Yes, there doesn't seem to be a _thing_ wrong with her," Rarity agreed, slightly jealous as she tried to push her hair out of her face so that she could see.

"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked the yellow pegasus, who shook her head. "Is there something wrong with you? Would you care to tell us? So… you're not going to tell us? Yes you're not, or yes you will?" She was started to become impatient as her friend wouldn't talk, only nodding or shaking her head at each question.

Fed up, Applejack jumped off her sister's back, ran across the table, and confronted the yellow pegasus. "Good gravy, girl! What's wrong with you?!" she demanded.

Embarrassed, Fluttershy turned her head away and finally spoke… in deep male voice. "I don't want to talk about it." And her friends stared in shock.

Spike, however, snorted, and then he burst out laughing. "This is hilarious! Look at all of you!" he exclaimed, making up names for each of them. "We got: Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Klutzy Sunny, Apple Teeny, Flutterguy, and…" he turned to Twilight Sparkle and frowned, "uh… I got nothin'… Twilight Sparkle. I mean seriously, I can't even work with that."

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "This is no joke, Spike," she reminded him sternly. "Now start looking for more books so I can find a cure!" And the grumbling baby dragon went back to searching the books.

Groaning and grunting, Rainbow Dash _finally_ freed herself from the ladder. "I think we'll find a cure to this curse at Zecora's place!" she declared.

"It's not a curse!" Twilight Sparkle protested.

"I agree with Dash!" said Applejack. "We'll go to Zecora's and force her to remove this hex!"

"It's not a hex either!" Twilight Sparkle snapped and soon they were all arguing with the exception of Spike, who was still trying to think of a nickname for the purple unicorn, and Apple Bloom, who was watching the group of ponies that she looked up to.

She was feeling guilty as she watched Sunrise Blossom trying to remain upright. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't followed Zecora in the first place, none of this would have happened. I just gotta fix this." And she turned toward the door.

Applejack just happen to notice her little sister sneaking away this time. "Now where does she think she's goin' this time?" she wondered, running across the table and leapt into her little sister's tail, already seeing an upside of being so small, and they both left the library without any pony noticing.

"I don't care what you say, Twilight," Rainbow Dash snapped, struggling to stay up in the air. "It's time to pony up and confront Zecora. Come on, girls. Are you with me?" she asked, and she got agreements from Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and even Sunrise Blossom, who thought it was possible that the zebra could probably help them.

"Uh, I don't know," Fluttershy said uncertainly in her deep voice. "Seems awfully dangerous." And Spike giggled, still getting a kick out of her deep voice.

Not surprised that Fluttershy would be uncertain, Rainbow Dash glanced over at the table for a certain orange pony. "How about you, Applejack? Applejack?" she asked, alarmed when she saw that there was no trace of their friend on the table.

"Pf-she's gone-pft!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Aah!" Rarity yelped and began checking her hooves. "Or somepony stepped on her!"

"… or sat on her?" said Twilight Sparkle fearfully.

"Rarity's hair!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Rarity immediately began protesting when Pinkie Pie began checking her hair. "Oh! _OH!_ Pinkie, what are you doing? Ah, really. Aah! You ever hear of personal space?" she demanded.

Pinkie Pie shook her head and stopped searching. "Nopthe."

"Apple Bloom is gone too!" Sunrise Blossom yelped, realizing that the filly was gone once again.

"I bet they went after Zecora," Rainbow Dash predicted.

"Well we better go find them," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "Come on girls, let's go." And she hurried out the door with Sunrise Blossom staggering and crashing after her.

Rarity also moved to follow, but she couldn't since Pinkie Pie was standing on a long strand of hair, and she grunted "Oh dear. Oh, this is so unseemly. Auuuaah!" she screamed, for when she tried to tug her hair free, the pink pony had removed her hoof, and she was sent tumbling through the door.

Rainbow Dash moved to fly after them – and crashed to the floor instead. "Hey, a little help here?"

"Oopsie!" said deep voice Fluttershy and, with help from Pinkie Pie, helped the blue pegasus up. "Sorry."

Rainbow Dash rose into the air and headed for the door – only to crash into the nearest wall. "OW!" Recovering, she managed to fly through the door before crashing again and Pinkie Pie hurried after her.

Fluttershy started to follow, pausing when she saw that Spike was standing before an open book. "Uh… Spike? Are you coming?" she asked.

"Nope!" said the baby dragon. "Uh… gotta stay here and look for a cure." And when she left, he picked up a quill and came up with a nickname for Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight Flopple!" And he eagerly wrote it into the open book.

* * *

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom ran along the path and into the Everfree Forest. She hurried along the route she'd seen Zecora take yesterday, and she only stopped when she heard her sister's high-pitched voice.

"Stop right there!" Applejack ordered, popping out from her sister's mane, glowering at her. "Turn around right now, missy!"

Apple Bloom smirked. "No."

"No?!" Applejack repeated. "You can't ignore a direct order from your big sister!"

Apple Bloom, however, giggled and tossed her sister into the air and caught her in her mouth. "Hehehe. Sorry, Applejack," she set, putting her on a branch that was over a small ditch, "but _I'm_ the big sister now." And she happily trotted off.

"Apple Bloom, you come back here right this instant!" Applejack shouted after her. " _I'm gonna tell Big Macintosh on you!_ Aw, pony feathers." She looked around, wondering how she was going to get off the branch and save her little sister.

* * *

A short while later, the other ponies also entered the Everfree Forest, with Sunrise Blossom riding on Pinkie Pie's back in order to keep her from hurting herself, and Twilight Sparkle was leading the charge. "C'mon girls. We've got to get to Zecora's. Hurry!"

Rarity was doing her best to keep up with her long hair and ended up tripping on it, tumbling to the ground. "Ooh… Ahaha. Easier said than done," she grumbled, getting back up and ran after her friends while being fully aware of the leaves and twigs now stuck in her hair. _'I will need a_ serious _bath after my hair is back to normal!'_

Rainbow Dash was trying to keep up, but her inverted wings were making that nearly impossible. "Hey, wait for me!" she shouted before crashing through a bunch of trees, and landed upside-down in a the ditch, groaning.

Just then, Applejack popped out of the blue pegasus' mouth, having been accidentally swallowed. "Rainbow!" she exclaimed, hopping to the ground. "Thank Celestia!" She quickly assembled a bit and harness out of a branch and vines, and shoved the bit into her friend's mouth before climbing onto her belly. "There's no time to lose! I need to get to Zecora's pronto! Giddy-up pony!"

"Ex-CUSE me?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice muffled by the bit.

Applejack jabbed her knee into her friend's stomach as an answer and they flew into the air. " _YEEE-HAW!_ "

"What the…?" Rainbow Dash began as she flew backwards.

"No, Rainbow Dash," said Applejack, directing her with the makeshift rope. "Other way!" And they were soon flying in the right direction.

* * *

A/N: Whenever I have a bad cold, my center of gravity tends to go haywire, worse if I have an ear infection. R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: CONFRONTING ZECORA

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Bridle Gossip

A/N: Hey guys! So, the tribbles have been removed and I had a serious talk with Discord about tormenting Thanos somewhere else other then my writers studio. Anyhoo, here's the next chapter and I hope you all are enjoying the stories.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: CONFRONTING ZECORA**

Once they located Apple Bloom's tracks, the five ponies were able to follow them to a clearing where they found a creepy-looking yellow hut surrounded by strange-looking masks of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and hanging from the branches of the nearby trees were colorful bottles of all shapes and sizes, too.

"Oh," Rarity moaned. "I look horrible!"

Pinkie Pie lifted up some of her hair so that she could see the clearing as they crept through it toward the hut. "Plis place plooks horrible!"

"Oh my," Rarity agreed, looking around as they reached the hut and peered through the nearest window to see the interor. "That place really _does_ look horrible. Nice decorations, if you like creepy!"

* * *

Inside the hut, there were more masks, bottles hanging from the ceiling, and on the shelves were all kind of strange items. In the middle of the floor was a fire with a large black cauldron resting on top with a strange green bubbling liquid inside. The door opened and Zecora entered, carrying a clay pot in her mouth. She carried it over to the cauldron and dumped the contents, which were small purple balls, into the cauldron.

Setting down the pot, she began speaking in a strange language.

* * *

Outside, Pinkie Pie began jumping up and down and frustration. "Sthe sthtole my sthong! Shthe shtole mm mm!"

"She stole your song?" Rarity translated.

"Oh Pinkie," said Twilight Sparkle. "It doesn't sound anything like your song."

"Yeah, Zecora is just speaking in some strange language," Sunrise Blossom agreed.

Pinkie Pie wasn't convinced and she tried to sing, but couldn't thanks to her swollen tongue, and she looked hopefully at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy sighed and began singing in her deep voice while the pink pony danced around. "She's an evil enchantress And she does evil dances And if you look deep in her eyes She will put you in trances Then what would she do? She'll mix up an evil brew Then she'll gobble you up In a big tasty stew Soooo… Watch out."

Sunrise Blossom peered through the window at the cauldron. "It _does_ look like she's cooking something in there."

"You saw those terrible things," Rarity told Twilight Sparkle. " _Now_ do you believe us Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle didn't want to, but after everything that happen and what was going on in the hut, even she was starting to think that her friends and twin were right about the zebra. "Scary looking masks, confusing incantations, and a great big bubbling cauldron?" She sighed. "Everything _is_ pointing to Zecora being… _bad_. Or… what if Zecora is just making soup?" she suggested and they went to look back through the window.

* * *

Finishing her chanting, Zecora tested the temperature of the liquid and nodded. "Mmm! The perfect temperature for ponies, I presume," she said, still rhyming as she looked around. "Now, where is that little Apple Bloom?"

* * *

Outside the ponies gasped when they heard that, and Twilight Sparkle gulped, her ears drooping. "Or… what if she's making Apple Bloom soup?!" And they all screamed, racing for the door to save the filly.

* * *

Still flying on Rainbow Dash's stomach, Applejack heard the screams and directed the blue pegasus toward them. "I'm comin' for ya, Apple Bloom!"

"Aaah!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she flew through the air toward the hut, crashing through the door, and then went flying madly around the room, crashing into everything despite Applejack's efforts to steer her. Zecora yelped and protested loudly in the same strange language as the room around her was wrecked.

The other ponies rushed in, with poor Sunrise Blossom going sprawling across the floor, and Twilight Sparkle confronted the zebra. "What have you done with Apple Bloom?"

Zecora ignored them and she was still shouting at the out-of-controlled blue pegasus. "No! No!"

Having managed to grab a thick piece of string, Applejack lassoed the zebra's ear as they flew past, and she hopped onto her head, trying to get her to submit by yanking on her ear.

"Ahh!" Rainbow Dash screamed, unable to stop her crazy flying.

"Ponies!" Zecora snapped, switching to their language. "What is this you…?" She was cut off when the blue pegasus crashed into the cauldron, knocking it over as she went sprawling across the floor. "No!" she screamed as the green liquid poured out. "You know not what you do! You've gone and spilled my precious brew!"

Avoiding the liquid, Twilight Sparkle stood face-to-face with the zebra. "We're onto you Zecora," she announced. "I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous," Rarity stated.

"You made me _sound_ ridiculous!" said Fluttershy unhappily.

Pinkie Pie spoke incoherently. "You made me speak ridiculous!"

"I can't even walk straight," said Sunrise Blossom sadly.

"You ruined my horn!" Twilight Sparkle snarled.

"How _dare_ you!" Zecora raged, glaring at the six ponies while pointedly ignoring Applejack, who was still tugging on her ear. "You destroy my home, destroy my work. Then rudely accuse _me_ of being a jerk?"

Rainbow Dash gingerly got to her hooves and faced the zebra. "You put this curse on us, now you're gonna uncurse us."

"It is unwise to venture down this road," Zecora warned. "Your actions will make my anger explode!"

Twilight Sparkle's eyes flashed with anger. " _Where is Apple Bloom!?_ " she demanded and they began head-butting each other, almost knocking Applejack to the floor.

Just then Apple Bloom, who had saddlebags on her back, entered the hut. "Zecora!" she called out. "I think I found all the things ya asked for." She stopped and stared at both the mess and at the seven ponies, who were staring at her with shocked expressions. "What in Ponyville is goin' on here?" she asked.

Applejack gasped and let go of the zebra's ear, relieved to see that her little sister was intact. "Apple Bloom!" she exclaimed. "You're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Apple Bloom asked, wondering what was going on and why the hut was such a mess.

"Because Zecora is an evil enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you up into soup!" Twilight Sparkle announced.

Zecora blinked, looked at Apple Bloom, who was looking equally surprised by this announcement, and then they both burst out laughing.

"Oh Twilight," the orange filly giggled, entering the hut and set the saddlebags on a part of the floor that wasn't messed up. "Did those silly fillies finally get in yer head? You know there's no such thing as a curse."

"Apple Bloom, sweetie," said Twilight Sparkle, gesturing to the conditions of herself, her sister, and their friends. "You can't just stand there and tell me this isn't a curse."

Apple Bloom giggled again. "This _isn't_ a curse."

Zecora chuckled, realizing that they were dealing with a big misunderstanding. "If you will remember back, the words I spoke were quite exact," she reminded them, repeating the warning. "Beware, beware you pony folk. Those leaves of blue are not a joke."

"It was a warnin'," Apple Bloom explained. "About that blue plant. It's called Poison Joke."

"That plant is much like poison _oak,_ " Zecora added. "But its results are like a joke."

Applejack had no idea of what they were talking about. "What in the hay does that mean?"

"It means this plant does not breed wrath," Zecora replied. "Instead this plant just wants a laugh."

"Will somepony please talk normal?" Applejack asked desperately, still not understanding what they were talking about.

"I think what she's saying is that when we ran in to save Apple Bloom, we ran into the poison joke," Twilight Sparkle explained. "All our problems are just little jokes it played on us."

"Some joke," Sunrise Blossom grumbled. "I'd read about that particular flower, but I never seen a picture of it before."

Applejack blinked. " _Little_ jokes?!" she repeated, scandalized. "Very funny."

"Okay, fine," Rainbow Dash said, exasperated. "But what about the cauldron?"

"And the chanting?" Fluttershy added.

"And the creepy décor?" Rarity inquired.

Zecora smiled and looked around at the masks and other objects. "Treasures of the native land where I am from," she answered, pointing to two different masks. "This one speaks 'hello', and this 'welcome'."

"Not welcoming at _all_ , if you ask me," Rarity muttered, eying a creepy-looking mask through her hair.

Zecora chuckled. "The words I chanted were from olden times," she continued. "Something you call a nursery rhyme."

"But the cauldron… The Apple Bloom soup?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.

"Lookie here Twilight," said Apple Bloom, opening the saddlebags to reveal that they were filled with all kinds of jars filled with powders and herbs. "That pot of water wasn't for me, it was for all these herbal ingredients. The cure for poison joke is a simple old-natural remedy. You just gotta take a bubble bath!" she added as her sister jumped off the zebra's head and landed on her back.

Twilight Sparkle noticed an open book and went over to it, reading the recipe that described how to cure the poison joke. "But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn't find anything," she remarked, frowning. "What book has this natural remedy?"

Zecora joined her and shut the book long enough to reveal that it was green with a familiar leaf symbol on the cover. "Here is the book, you see? Sad that you lack it in your library."

"Actually, I do have this book, but I didn't look inside because the title was so… Weird," Twilight Sparkle admitted, flushing since this was the same book that Spike had suggested she read earlier, and she read the full title. " _Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super_. I…I… I'm so sorry, Zecora," she apologized. "I had the answer the whole time, if only I had bothered to look inside."

"We're both sorry, Zecora," Sunrise Blossom added. "I know how hard it can be to be treated differently because of my own disability, and I shouldn't have assumed you were dangerous just because of your appearance."

Zecora chuckled. "Maybe next time you will take a second look, and not judge the cover of the book," she advised, and Apple Bloom giggled.

"Zecora? Would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?" Twilight Sparkle requested.

"Mix it up I certainly will," Zecora promised. "Yet I am missing an herb from Ponyville."

"But whenever Zecora comes to town, all the shops are _mysteriously_ closed," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Including the Apothecary."

Sunrise Blossom flushed. "Oh…heh, that's on me, sorry," she apologized again.

Twilight Sparkle got an idea that would help solve a lot of problems. "Oh, well… I think we can help you with that."

* * *

A/N: Just another reason why you should never assume something about someone before you really get to know them. R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: CURED!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Bridle Gossip

A/N: Hey, guys! So, due to _another_ incident involving Discord, I'm in a different location to do my writing while the writers studio is emptied of colorful sheep this time. Jeeze, ask him to torment Thanos and this is the thanks I get. Anyway, I'm also going to answer a question that's been brought up a few times of why I only post one chapter at a time.

Well, when I first started out posting my _Supernatural_ fanfics, my sister, Yami Farie, insisted on reviewing them first and edit them. So, I would wait a week between each posting for her to do this, and this went on for several years before real life got in the way. I just got in the habit of waiting a week between each posting in order to keep writing when not busy with work. Specking of which, I've got some writing to do. Later!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR: CURED!**

Over in Ponyville, the ponies were once again outside, enjoying the beautiful day and the fact that a certain zebra wouldn't show up for another month. Daisy and Rose were attending to their cart of flowers when they spotted the Mane 7, Apple Bloom, and the hooded Zecora heading their way.

"Look Rose!" Daisy gasped when she saw the condition of the seven ponies. "How awful!"

"The wicked enchantress has cursed them all," Rose agreed, shuddering.

"The horror, the horror!" Lily Valley wailed, and the ponies panicked, fleeing for their homes and shops, shutting and locking all the doors and windows.

"Run, ponies! Run!" Daisy shrieked, retreating into her own home, and slammed the door shut.

Walking up to the door, Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door and the terrified pony opened it a crack to peer at her. "Daisy, we need to talk," she said seriously.

* * *

A few hours later, the ponies were now at the spa, where Zecora and Apple Bloom helped mix up the cure, adding it to the hot tub, and the ponies were relaxing in the warm water, returning to normal. Of course, Pinkie Pie cannonballed into the tub, splashing the group, but they didn't care since the problems caused by the poison joke were long gone.

 _Dear Princess Celestia, My friends, Sunrise Blossom, and I all learned an important lesson this week: Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; it's the "contents" of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever._

 _Your faithful student,_

 _Twilight Sparkle_

Lotus Blossom, the pony who owned and ran the spa, walked up to the zebra. "Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath," she requested. "It's simply luxurious!" And Zecora agreed to give it to her.

Apple Bloom was smiling until she realized that a certain pony was missing. "Applejack! Hey, where's Applejack?!" she asked alarmed, and the ponies began searching the tub, fearing that they had accidentally squished their friend.

"I'm right here, _little_ sis," Applejack called out, and they saw that she was back to normal with a bucket stuck to her bottom. "I ain't tiny no more!" And they all laughed, relieved.

"Oh! I have never felt so lovely in all my life!" Rarity declared, relieved to have her hair back to normal.

"It's nice to be able to walk without crashing into doors or even walls," Sunrise Blossom agreed.

"Oh, my gosh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "I never realized how horrible it is not to be able to talk. I mean, I _love_ talking so much, and when I couldn't talk anymore, my tongue was all 'ehhhh'! It was the _worst_! Don't you agree, Fluttershy?"

"Yes," Fluttershy agreed in her normal voice and they all laughed.

* * *

Later that same day, Sunrise Blossom was at the Apothecary with Zecora, helping her get the herbs she needed for her potions and remedies, and they even traded recipes. Once this was done and the zebra went back to her home in the Everfree Forest, Sunrise Blossom went upstairs to her room and got out her book.

Opening it to an empty page, Sunrise Blossom began writing a letter of her own for Princess Celestia.

 _Dear Princess Celestia, as you know from the letter that Twilight sent you earlier, we learned a valuable lesson today when it came to a unique zebra named Zecora. I hate to admit it, but when I first saw her a few months after moving to Ponyville, I assumed that she was dangerous based on her appearance, and I avoided her as much as possible whenever she came to town._

 _This was wrong of me and the other ponies, for Zecora is a nice wonderful woman who helped us with the poison joke. I should've known better after all the times I was put down for being different because of my disability, and I now know not to judge any pony based on their appearance alone. I hope everything is well in Canterlot, and that Shiny Armor is working hard on keeping the kingdom safe from those who would want to attack Equestria._

 _Your faithful student,_

 _Sunrise Blossom_

Finishing the letter, Sunrise Blossom shut the book and went to fed Rosemary before doing some much-needed cleaning after the poison joke incident.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest, Zecora did return to her home, unaware that she was being watched by a hooded figure. Waiting until the zebra was back inside the hut, the figure stepped out of the shadows of the trees just enough for the sunlight to reveal that the figure was Shadow Star, and there was even more white in her mane and tail then there had been before she'd left Ponyville.

' _So, the ponies of Ponyville have befriended Zecora the zebra,'_ Shadow Star thought sourly. _'No matter, when the time comes for me to take the life force of the ponies of the town, that zebra won't be able to stop me. I_ will _rule Equestria and all will bow before me.'_ She then disappeared back into the trees to prepare for the day when she would go through with her plan.

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap for the final chapter. Oh, Roleplayer48, if you see Timon, please remind him not to use a shortcut to the writers studio since it cost a pretty penny to repair the damage to the floor and my accountant almost blew a fuse over the budget. R&R everyone!


End file.
